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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: Late Night Host Smackdown
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
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Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 01-16-2010 12:15 AM
I'm probably in the minority, but I like Conan O'Brien's dry sense of humor. And his brand of humor owes a lot to David Letterman.
IMHO, Jay Leno seriously screwed up and overestimated his sense of popularity. He assumed all his late night viewers would follow him to prime time and then gather additional viewers as well. That didn't happen. And it certainly wasn't going to happen with Leno changing things around to a shitty new format. His prime time show was just plain awful.
NBC goofed BIG TIME as well. A bunch of short-sighted, greedy, penny pinching network executives dreaming up new ways to have as few "scripted" TV shows as possible yet expect to retain all the viewers or even gain more.
America is fucking tired beyond all hell of "reality TV." All that "unscripted" programming is driving viewers away to their DVRs, various cable channels, the Internet, outdoors or even to the confines of a novel printed on dead trees. Those MBA bastards gathering on the 6th floor of 30 Rock need to be strung up by their ankles and whipped severely as punishment for stupidity.
"Oh, but real TV shows with real actors, plots and production value cost too much money and take too much time to develop and cultivate a following of viewers." Tough shit, NBC executive. That's the TV business: YOUR job. This is how it has always been. If you want to be a bean counter, go a few dozen blocks south to Wall Street.
Whether someone likes Conan O'Brien or not the fact remains O'Brien stuck it out for umpteen years waiting patiently for Jay Leno to pass the reins of the Tonight Show along to the next guy. Why should O'Brien get screwed over for the mistake of someone else (Leno & NBC executives)? Oh well, NBC has screwed the "late night" guy before, hence the reason why David Letterman is at CBS instead of NBC these days.
I think Leno is done. Fucking Conan O'Brien over and sticking Jay back into the 11:30/10:30CST time slot isn't going to work. NBC got away with the act the last time when they gave The Tonight Show to Leno and sent Letterman packing to "Black Rock." This time I don't think the ploy is going to work. I expect NBC to give The Tonight Show back to Jay Leno, but I think a lot of the viewer base will leave.
Once Conan O'Brien is screwed by NBC he'll probably try to get something launched at Fox. That would sort of bring Fox "full circle" since the first network show Fox had was a late night show with Joan Rivers. I think O'Brien will do better, but he'll be damaged by this crap as well.
The real winner out of this mess: David Letterman.
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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!
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Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000
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posted 01-16-2010 02:31 AM
I feel sorry for both on-air guys involved in this total fuckup by the NBC suits. I've met Leno (backstage at Caesars Palace when I was a stagehand there back in the day), and although I don't particularly like his humor, he is a genuinely nice guy. Both Leno and O'Brien are stuck in a bad situation due to their breathtakingly stupid bosses. Oh, and for the record - O'Brien for the win, no matter how this current cockup turns out.
But ever since the current schedule started, I've watched neither of them. Being something of a news junkie, I'm usually watching local news at 10pm (KVBC3 on VegasTV) and 10:30 (Fox5) and 11 (KLAS8), and Nightline at 11:35. Letterman comes off as stale and Kimmel continues to make me ill. I just concentrate on my job search or GhibliWiki projects during those timeslots.
One thing I make sure not to miss though is Craig Ferguson at 1:35. Refreshingly funny, at least to me (us pilots gotta stick together).
Man I wish I could get a job as a suit and get paid what they get paid and have my golden parachute and not have to worry about the consequences of clueless decisions.
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Randy Stankey
Film God
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Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 01-16-2010 11:12 AM
I'm sort of embarrassed to say that I have no idea what you guys are talking about!
I rarely watch TV. I probably don't even watch 5 hours of TV per week. There are, maybe two or three TV shows I watch on a semi-regular basis. All of those are ones my wife likes to watch. If she didn't watch TV I would probably never watch TV at all.
Since Carson left the Tonight Show, I haven't watched late night TV at all. I never liked to see Lenno sitting in Johnny's seat. I certainly don't like O'Brien sitting in Johnny's seat!
On rare occasions, I might watch Furguson. He's all right. But, best, he's not sitting in anybody else's seat. He's got his own damn chair and he seems to fill it well.
If more people would sit in their own seats and make a name for themselves and stop trying to copy things that other people are doing, maybe I'd watch more television. Instead, I just surf the internet. When I get bored with that, I just go out to the garage and tinker with something.
Television is dead, AFAIC.
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